A: Have you explored it in high schools? I teach high school history. It’s an interesting thing in that space

A: No, I didn’t. I wasn’t bored during high school. Bullying kept me busy…but I’m curious to know why you associate high school with boredom?

T: Because kids say they’re bored all the time. So for me, it’s a task of figuring out what that means and what to do with that

A: and did you come out with a solution?

T: Is boredom a problem and if so, what kind of problem is it? I mean it’s a daily ordeal

A: that’s the point. Maybe it’s not. Couldn’t it be something else? I never thought what’s boredom means for kids before

T: Not what? A problem?

A: Yes, not a problem, not just a negative status

T: it depends. I don’t think it’s a great thing in my classroom. The question is, whose problem is it? And it’s not simply a problem. It’s other things too. But I think in a NYC public school, it’s obnoxious to not recognize that it’s a problem too

A: what do you think it could be done about this matter?

T: Listen to them. Talk less

A: I agree. I think you’re right

T: This is what I do 😉

A: We don’t listen to them

T: Nope. People like to talk a lot, and talk a lot of silliness. Not fun silliness though

A: Sometime we impose our knowledge and experience on kids. I know what you have to do, because I’ve been here before…

T: And to each other. Adults are the worst!

A: and in doing so we just block them

T: Yup. What about you?

A: I’m just trying to understand how boredom could be seen from another perspective… for example, observing on what we do when we’re bored. How do we spend that time? Is it really wasted as we like to think?

T: Anxiety around boredom

A: what if we start to observe that anxiety?

T: There’s Buddhism in there

A: Do you think so? I’m not looking it through a religious filter…not yet

T: I mean, lots of folks don’t really call Buddhism a religion. But yes. There’s a good amount of overlap with what you said

A: is it a state of mind?

T: Well, quieting the mind. Sitting with ones’ emotions

A: you told me about the kids, but what about you?

T: Letting a state like boredom just be 🙂 What about me?

A: what do you do when you’re bored?

T: I like interesting things. Like questions. Like this. I have problems with my boredom. I like to be busy always. I don’t like being home alone. I don’t like when I just watch TV and porn etc.

A: but it happens. Eventually we end up there, saying the magic sentence: I’m bored

T: I used to be better at being alone

A: what happened?

T: I was au pair in rural Poland for a year and spent so much alone time. I’d go on hikes alone, teach myself guitar. Technology killed me. Most gay men bore me to death. They’re the worst. I need constant stimulation. I like calm and quiet too. I like to go fishing with my dad. That’s fine. But, fact is, gay men are both boring and the worst 😉

A: why are you so mad at gay men?

T: Meh. I’m more of a lesbian. Not mad. Just disappointed. But I like having sex with them